1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to brush implements.
2. Prior Art
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is intended for cleaning the short, plastic densely spaced spikes of golf shoe cleats. Accordingly only the prior art relating thereto is discussed in detail herein.
Golf is a game played on a large outdoor golf course with a series of nine or eighteen holes spaced far apart, the object being to propel a small, hard, golf ball with the use of various clubs into each hole with as few strokes as possible. A golf course is comprised of fairways made of short grass, putting greens made of cropped, manicured grass, sand traps, water traps, and areas known as the rough where the golf course is left unmowed and uncultivated to create a rugged, overgrown terrain.
A golfer moves the golf ball about the golf course by planting the golfer's feet firmly into the course and, after rotating his or her upper torso and arms, swinging to strike the golf ball. To provide traction for the golfer during the swing irrespective of the position on the golf course that the golf ball has come to a stop, golf shoes conventionally have projecting pieces of metal attached to the underside of the shoe. These spikes extend from cleats attached to the sole of the shoe so as to implant into the surface layer of the terrain of the golf course. These metal spikes damage the golf course turf and thus present a constant problem in maintaining the grass of the course, particularly on the putting greens.
To counter these green-unfriendly metal spikes, a metal spike alternative movement formed in the golf industry. Golf course operators and others have sought to ban the use of metal spikes and to require the use of soft spikes on the bottom of golf shoes. For example, to promote its U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,833 on soft spiked golf shoes, Softspikes.RTM., Inc. of Rockville, Md. has spearheaded the effort to ban metal spikes at golf courses nationwide. Today, more than 5,000 golf courses, including eighty of Golf Digest's Top One Hundred Courses, have banned metal spikes as a result of Softspikes.RTM.' pioneering work.
Soft spikes are made of various types of thermoplastics or hard rubbers. To provide a gentler gripping action, soft spikes are shorter in length than conventional metal spikes but compensate for this short length by increasing the number of soft spikes per cleat. Due to the greater density of the short soft spikes, the non-metallic spikes may become plugged with imbedded grass and dirt. This imbedded grass and dirt minimizes traction and causes the golfer to lose footing. Thus, there is a need for a brush implement for cleaning the short, plastic, densely spaced spikes of a golf shoe in a convenient, quick manner.